The Giver is the Gift
by Patchcat
Summary: He's secretly leaving gifts for Kagome and, in the process, helping others. He'll keep his secret until the twelfth day and then discover that he holds the greatest gift in his own heart.
1. A Giving Heart

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

A Giving Heart

He watched in fascinated curiosity as Kagome bartered with one of the village women and followed her in bemused interest as she traveled into the forest to gather roots and berries. The strange scents he would catch coming from her backpack as she came through the well piqued his curiosity. It annoyed him to no end that all of his attempts to investigate had been thwarted by that idiot, always demanding and hogging her attention.

It wasn't until he saw her last night, wrapping some of her newly acquired treasures together into neat little bundles, that he realized what all of her unusual behavior meant. Kagome, ever the kind-hearted and giving soul, was putting together gifts for her friends to honor that strange winter tradition she had explained to them a few weeks ago. Seeing her going to so much trouble for all of them made him think and come to a decision of his own.

Using every trick of stealth that he possessed, he snuck out of the hut shortly after everyone had fallen asleep. A smug smirk crossed his face as he did some gathering of his own. Returning to the hut, he placed his gift gently next to a sleeping Kagome.

The delighted look on Kagome's face the next morning as she cooed and exclaimed over the red, radiant beauty of the anemone flower and brilliant purple of the Angelica tree leaves warmed his heart, and he busied himself planning for his next gift.

Word Count: 247

A/N:

This drabble collection was written in response to a challenge issued by one forthright over on LJ. A detailed description of the challenge may be found here: http://forthrightly. livejournal .com/33782. html (lose the spaces).

Can you guess who the giver is before Kagome does?

Originally posted to LJ 12/3/06


	2. Care for Another

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

Care for Another

His next gift came to him in the early hours of the afternoon. As their intrepid group made their way out from the village in search of more rumors of Naraku, the weather took a turn for the colder. All of them did what they could to keep warm. The temperature would only drop during the night, he realized; and that was when the idea for his next gift came to him.

As was not unusual when weather was a problem, the monk found them a nice set of rooms in the finest inn in the village they chose as their stopping point. Stating that he had "things to take care of," he made his way in search of the innkeeper's wife. Explaining his thoughts, she was only too happy to oblige him.

Later that evening, just before Kagome and Sango returned from their warming bath, he slipped back down to the kitchen and retrieved the silk wrapped stones that the innkeeper's wife had been warming by the fire. Listening at the door, jostling his package from hand to hand, he insured that the others were nowhere about and made his way to Kagome's bedroll. Gently, he placed them at the foot of Kagome's bag, and skittered back out the door.

A few minutes later, after seeing the girls return to the room, he wandered back in just in time to see Kagome slide into her nicely warmed bed. Her exclamation of surprise and delight was music to his ears.

Word Count: 250

Originally posted to LJ 12/4/06


	3. Helping You to Help Her

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

Helping You to Help Her

The next day dawned just as chilly as the first and Kagome made very sure to bundle herself up. It did not escape his notice that she wrapped herself in a scarf and sweater and took several minutes digging through that seemingly bottomless backpack for the mate to her cheerfully green mittens. As they made their way once again, he wondered if he would be able to find a hot spring or if, since the anemone flower went over so well, he could find any other winter flowers that she might like nearby.

When Kagome managed to lose one of her mittens in the stream as she was getting water, he knew he had his next gift. Now, his only problem was how to replace it when he couldn't knit and didn't have anything to barter.

Luckily, at the next village, he discovered an old woman happily spinning yarn outside her hut. Explaining his plight, she readily agreed to help him; but he found her price discouraging. In exchange for the mittens, he would need to help rid her of a rat demon that had taken residence in her spinning room. For this, he knew, he would need some help.

It took some doing -- and a _lot_ of yelling -- but he managed to enlist the baka's help, and they banished the demon in record time. The old woman was so pleased with them that she added a matching scarf to his gift. He just knew that Kagome would be thrilled.

Word Count: 250

Originally posted to LJ 12/5/06


	4. From Whence They Come

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

From Whence They Come

Kagome sighed contentedly as she and her companions trekked through the winter countryside. She had slept very well the night before thanks to the fire-warmed rocks at the foot of her bedroll. Her companions had all claimed ignorance, but she was very grateful nonetheless. It had been almost as nice of a surprise as the pretty anemone flower that she had awaken to that morning, especially considering how cold it had gotten overnight. It made her very glad that she had packed her scarf and mittens.

Lunch was a pleasant affair -- if you discounted the ever-present argument between Inuyasha and Shippo, but that had become so commonplace that it hardly fazed any of them anymore -- until she lost her mitten in the stream as she filled the water bottles. She had watched in despondent frustration as the current carried it away. That had been her favorite pair, too!

Her gloom had lifted when they came to the next village. Noticing that Shippo and Inuyasha had disappeared not long after they arrived, she found them helping an old woman in the removal of a rat demon. Kagome smiled as she listened to them argue and heard one admonish the other "She's just a baba. She's too old to do it herself."

She remembered that her boys had been very interested when she described what some people called "the Christmas spirit," even though one of them had tried his utmost to pretend otherwise. Suddenly, losing her mitten wasn't so disappointing.

Word Count: 250


	5. Show a Little Kindness

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

**Not all gifts are material. Some are actions that speak louder than any word ever spoken and hold more meaning than any present ever given.**

Show a Little Kindness

His hunt for berries the next morning was interrupted by the sounds of a plaintive mew. Following the call to a slow moving stream, he came upon a tiny demon kitten that was trying desperately to catch a fish. So far, he could see, it hadn't had very good luck at it. He stood there in indecision, looking back over his shoulder at the blackberry bush he had just passed and then back to the struggling kit. It was the splash that decided him.

Setting his bucket on the ground, he waded past the cat into the stream. Ignoring the slight hiss and fluffed fur, he bent his attention to the water. With a moment's intense concentration and a mighty splash, a fish landed on the bank. Quick as a wink, the cat deftly ended its struggles. Wordlessly, he continued until they had a nice sized pile and the cat gave a satisfied "mer-rah." Picking one up, it turned and headed into the woods.

He gathered the rest and followed the kitten to a small, run-down hut and an old man who praised them both effusively. "How can I ever repay you for all your help? My Hiro and I will eat well for several days from this. Please, take some for yourself."

He returned to camp, not with a bucket of berries, but with a few fish and a tale to tell. Kagome's smile as she listened left him feeling as though he had just given her the world.

Word Count: 250


	6. Caught in the Act

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

Caught in the Act

He had been so sure there was no one around as he snuck up to Kagome's backpack that evening, every sense alert; but then, just as he pulled out the package containing Kagome's new mittens and scarf, she jumped out of the brush and landed lightly on the bag.

"Mrrow?" she mewed inquiringly, reaching out a delicate black paw and tapping gently on the package in his hand. He shushed her quickly, looking nervously around the camp to make sure none of the others, especially Kagome, had returned.

"Mrrow?" she said again, cocking her head and glancing expectantly between him and what he held. Quickly and quietly, he told her what he was doing, deciding in an instant that it would be no bad thing to have someone to help him if he needed it. She listened attentively, then reached out and swiped his cheek with her tongue. As he reached up to wipe it, she grabbed the package from his hand.

"No, you stupid cat," he hissed as she sauntered toward the wood. "Come back here with that!" He stopped short in his chase when Kagome walked out of the trees and Kirara caught her attention.

He held his breath and watched Kagome take the package from Kirara and sighed contentedly at her delighted exclamation when she discovered what was inside. No amount of coaxing would get Kirara to tell her from whence it came. She just turned and walked away, her tails held high. His secret was safe.

Word Count: 250


	7. Feathers on a Cat

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

Feathers on a Cat

It seemed that, while Kirara was extremely helpful, her intervention hadn't been as secretive as he had hoped. As they continued their journey and just before she disappeared down the well to go take a few much-dreaded tests, Kagome had been casting inquisitive and speculative glances in his direction. Contriving to look innocent, he had pretended not to see her thoughtful looks; but he was pretty sure he had come off as guilty more than anything.

It was Kirara that gave him the idea for his next gift. He found her in a small clearing one afternoon crouched over a fresh-killed pheasant. He chuckled as he watched her try to eat it without getting feathers in her mouth. As he helped her pluck her soon-to-be dinner, he noticed that these feathers were the perfect type for arrow fletchings. He knew that Kagome had been complaining lately that she didn't have enough arrows -- she kept breaking them -- and that she didn't have time to make the shafts for more.

"Perfect," he breathed. Turning to his companion and asking her for help, they set out to gather the rest of their supplies. They made short work of finding straight, flexible branches high in the trees. He found some leather and a sharp knife in Kaede's hut and returned to the clearing to start putting them together. Knowing that Kagome had been saving her broken off arrowheads, he grinned in anticipation. She was going to _love_ these!

Word Count: 246


	8. What Speaks Loudest

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

What Speaks Loudest

She was very surprised when she came through the well after her math test to find a set of beautifully fletched arrow shafts leaning up against it, obviously waiting for her return. It seemed that her "Secret Santa" was at it again. Kagome had to admit that she had been a little unsure who might have been leaving things for her. She dismissed Miroku and Sango immediately -- they would surely leave things for each other. She had a pretty good guess after the old woman and the rat demon, but she wasn't entirely sure. After seeing who was in camp with Kirara, however, she was almost positive which of the others it was.

Today she kept an unobtrusive eye on him. It really was very nice that he would do this for her, but what touched her more was that he was helping others in the process. She watched him as he spoke to the woodcutter and then disappeared into the forest with Kirara in tow, only to return shortly thereafter with a brace of rabbits. A bit later, as she gathered a few roots for Kaede, she heard him return to the hut and grinned when she heard the inevitable argument when he refused to answer the loud demand to know what he was up to.

That evening after dinner she found a running fox and a protective dog of finely-carved wood nestled on her pillow. She didn't miss his contented smile as she delightedly examined them.

Word Count: 249


	9. Sweets for the Sweet

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

A/N: There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the length of my chapters for this story. To that end, allow me a moment for explanation. This story is being written in response to a challenge. One of the guidelines for that challenge was that the chapter could not be more that 250 words in length, i.e. a drabble. Another requirement was that it be twelve "days," or chapters, long. I hope that helps those who were worried about chapter length. I now return you to your regularly scheduled drabble. Thank you.

**The Giver is the Gift**

Sweets for the Sweet

He sniffed the air eagerly and followed his nose to the source of the tempting aroma. Hikari-san was cooking sweet dumplings again; and it smelled like they were almost ready to come off the grill. The widow made the best dumplings in all of Musashi, and it was just his good luck that she had a batch that was almost ready.

That baka, he just _had_ to make a pig of himself three nights ago, when they were last fortunate enough to get some of Hikari-san's dumplings. He knew that Kagome loved them. She'd been so disappointed when she went for the last one, only to find that the jerk had eaten it. Today, he planned to remedy that. Today, with the others gone, he would be getting her as many skewers as he could; and they would all be for her alone.

He had already approached the widow and presented her with some winter mushrooms and nuts he had scavenged. He had heard that she needed them for her sick brother, and she had been happy to accept them in trade. Now, all he had to do was wait for the dumplings to be done; and from the smell of things that wouldn't be long.

After placing the leaf-wrapped skewers on Kagome's bedroll shortly thereafter, he waited outside the hut for her to come back in. He grinned, amused, as she squealed with glee upon finding the treat and was pleasantly surprised when she asked him to join her.

Word Count: 250


	10. A Stick in the Mud?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

A Stick in the Mud?

His next gift was a messier and more labor-intensive endeavor than he could have imagined. By now, most of the villagers had heard what he was up to. They had been surprisingly good at keeping it from the rest of his companions for the most part. It shouldn't have surprised him, then, when the potter approached him the next afternoon and offered him a deal: If he would go down by the river and find and bring back a specific type of clay, the potter would allow him any of his finished wares.

He agreed immediately, for the potter had some very nice pieces in his hut, including a handsomely decorated tea kettle that Kagome would love for sure. It took no time at all to find area of the clay deposit. What _would_ take time was the digging, something the potter had conveniently failed to mention.

Rolling up his sleeves, he got down to business, figuring that what he was after couldn't be _too_ far beneath the surface. Two hours later, as the sun approached zenith and the hole had reached a depth to match his height, he hit pay dirt. He fashioned his outer garment into an impromptu sling and carried back as much as it would hold.

Taking his prize and leaving a happy potter in his wake, he nestled the tea kettle in the folds of Kagome's pack. Her smile as she came down to the river to fill it made even his cold bath worthwhile.

Word Count: 250


	11. Worth a Thousand Words

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

Worth a Thousand Words

He had been working on this gift for several days, trying hard to get it _just_ right. Finally, he had a finished product he could be proud to give to his friend. He hoped it would be just as nice a surprise for her as his other presents had been. He had found himself working and perfecting his newest skill just to make sure that these two were as close to perfect as possible.

He'd had a harder time that he had thought he would finding the right pigments, and the brushes he had been using for his more simple watercolors hadn't been right for this. He had been gathering those supplies for several weeks as they traveled; and the most difficult colors to acquire, he had found, were the purple and blues of the monk's robe. Finally, though, he had come upon a trader who had exactly what he needed. Now, he looked upon the faces of his friends and felt a swell of pride at how well he had captured them.

Sango flying high aboard Kirara with the monk balanced precariously behind her; Kagome, the baka, and he pacing them along the treetops stared at him from the parchment. The other picture, that of Kagome and the baka, wasn't as good; but he hoped she would like it nonetheless.

On silent feet, he slipped the ribbon-bound scroll into Kagome's basket as she gathered roots for dinner. That evening, she showed his work proudly to anyone who would look.

Word Count: 250


	12. The Greatest Gift

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters contained herein. They are the exclusive property of their original copyright holders. I just play with them for my own amusement.

**The Giver is the Gift**

The Greatest Gift

Kagome hummed a merry tune as she made her way to the well to retrieve the last odds and ends of her friends' Christmas presents. Her gift giver had struck again last night, leaving a beautiful tea kettle that she would always treasure.

She paused at the edge of the clearing when movement and a flash of russet caught her eye. Shippo was sitting on the edge of the well, and he looked upset.

"What's wrong, Shippo?" she asked. "I'm just going to pick up some things. I'll be back soon."

"It's -- It's not --" Sniffling, he held out an empty glass jar. "This was supposed to be your last present, Kagome. My foxfire was supposed to be inside, but I can't get it to stay lit." He threw himself into her arms. "I'm sorry. I wanted it to be just as good as the others."

Kagome stroked his hair and rocked him gently. "Don't be upset, Shippo. You've already given me the best present possible."

"I have?" At her nod, he asked, "What is it?"

"Your giving heart." She chuckled at his confused look. "You helped all of those people when you didn't have to. Even if you did it to pay for the things you gave me, you could have just as easily walked away and found other things you didn't have to pay for." She smiled sweetly. "Knowing that you're becoming such a caring, generous person is the greatest gift you could ever give me."

Word Count: 250

A/N: Well, folks, that's the end. I truly hope you-all enjoyed it. This was a lot of fun to do. I just want to say "thank you" to everyone who took a minute to review -- and guess -- and to everyone who read but didn't comment I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks again, all.

Catch ya later,

Patch


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